Oysters
by argimpasa
Summary: Beka and Charlemagne enjoy oysters and other things. During Into the Labyrinth. Later Tyr retaliates with a course of Filet Mignon.
1. Default Chapter

Oysters 

TITLE: Oysters  
AUTHOR: Argimpasa  
E-MAIl: argimpasa@thedrawlyn.com  
WEBSITE: www.thedrawlyn.com/LeoMars  
DISTRIBUTION: Please contact me first - Go ahead Mary  
SPOILERS: Andromeda - Into the Labyrinth  
'SHIP: Beka/Charlemagne  
CONTENT: not very graphic sex  
RATING: NC-17 just encase  
DISCLAIMER: Tribune Entertainment, Fireworks and Gene Roddenberry  
SUMMARY: Charlemagne and Beka enjoy oysters and other things  
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Skutter and Cherubino for their beta-ing.  
DATE: July 23, 2002 - revised for ff.net September 22, 2002 

**Oysters**

"Beka Valentine, I like your style," he said breaking into full sultry smile.  
  
"Good." Beka nodded. "We have that in common." 

Beka maintained her languid recline on the divan. She was actually surprised at Charlemagne's casualness at her intrusion into his assigned chambers. It spoke of someone who was used to his solitude being interrupted or simply didn't like solitude. His initial wariness only lasted the onset of their little verbal duel. She was not sure if she should be insulted with the ease at which he accepted her threats or thankful that he hadn't had the kludge thrown from his quarters.

Charlemagne strolled over and plucked an oyster from the tray. She made room for him to sit on the lounge beside her. Primly he added a drop of lemon and savoured the shellfish.

He reached across her knees for another. "So Captain Valentine, what do you do when the boredom of space travel catches up with you.

"Well not much on this ship. Its pretty much gym, vids and repair the Maru around here."

"So not very entertaining, then."

"No. There are times when I miss my days on the Maru. Never a dull moment, always something failing and about to kill us. But the rare time I was bored I could always pull into port and enjoy the local nightlife."

"So you like the nightlife. Surely you could find enough 'nightlife' here on board. There are three viable males, granted the little one is a bit skittish."

"Three viable males 'surely' you are joking Archduke Bolivar. Harper is like a younger brother, that leaves 'never with my crew' Dylan and 'I would never procreate with a human' Tyr. And to tell you the truth Dylan really isn't my style. Bit too formal."

"So your into Nietzscheans then."

Beka laughed, "_That_ isn't what I said. I forgot for a moment who I was sitting beside. Anyway I didn't come here to discuss my sexlife." Beka helped herself to another half shell.

"No, you seemed to have come to eat my oysters." Smiling, Charlemagne stayed her with his hand on her knee. "Please stay. You wouldn't leave me here to finish the whole plate and," he pulled a bottle from the ice bucket, "a bottle of champagne by myself would you. That wouldn't be very ambassadorial. Maybe I am in need of further charming."

He uncorked the bottle and retrieved two flutes from under the food trolley. He poured and handed her a glass, sidling a little closer. "I might enjoy the nightlife too you know."

Beka sipped and smiled in appreciation. "Wonderful. Ne'Holland?"

"For a freighter captain, you know your luxuries," Charlemagne stated, eyebrows raised.

Beka didn't reply; she just prepared another oyster. _He's actually trying to seduce me_. If he hadn't been so beautiful, she would have found the situation beyond amusing. She had to roll with this. Elsbett's husband was cozying up to _her_. A Nietzschean was enticing a human. This was a situation to relish. _Besides curiosity has been killing me._

Charlemagne gently intercepted her, taking her oyster from her and raising the shell to her lips. She studied his face for a second, and then tilted her head back exposing her long neck as he tipped the oyster in. 

"I am surprised the Kodiak is one of those, after all this time away from his clan. I'm not in agreement with my Pride's actions in not supporting the mutual protection pact with the Kodiak. I mean the Kodiak were never a large population. Too introverted to be a threat. A remnant of the old Commonwealth ways." He gave elegant shrug and took a sip of champagne.

"Introverted I'll give you that. But I know one Kodiak who is hardly harmless. He does enough damage on his own. I can't imagine what even a hundred Tyrs could do. I figured the Dragans must have nuked them to win."

"Yes, I believe they did." Charlemagne nodded a prim look of disgust passing over his handsome face. He sighed. "As I said they were a bit backward. They did not see that after the Fall the playing field had changed. That old Commonwealth treaties meant nothing in the new galactic climate. Given the expansionist manifesto of the Drago-Kazov, I'm surprised they didn't see it coming." He paused; his bonespurs tantalizingly grazed her knee as he reached for another oyster. "Unlike them, we Jaguar have remained strong and grew because we have moved with the times." 

"And that would be . . . what exactly? You moved to Than audio disks from the old Perseid crystals." Beka quipped to hide the little tingle that this casual reminder of his species had caused. She squeezed lemon over another oyster; taking advantage of this movement to bring her knee in contact with his hip.

Charlemagne smiled, "Of course. But I was thinking more along the lines of my father finally weaning us of slave labour. Returning us to self-reliance. Homo sapien sapiens still are among us but as paid labour, merchants and business partners. You are likely to find more equality among the cousins in our space than anywhere else in the known worlds." 

"Really? Why did you not bring this up earlier? It would go a long way to easing Dylan's conscience. He believes he is risking a great deal by signing you up. Believes you are Stalin to his Churchill. I mean as a Nietzschean you can't give up thoughts of domination of the known worlds, it's programmed into your genes. We know the tables will turn once the Drago-Kazov are defeated and the Commonwealth proclaimed. There will be coups and plotting. Will to power and all that."

"I see you read the right literature."

"Ha! Who needs to read Nietzsche or Machiavelli when we have Tyr quoting them all the time."

"Ah. So the conversation has already circled back to the Kodiak. I am beginning to doubt my wiles as far as women are concerned. That aside, I am still surprised that you don't believe he is interested in you. I have only been here a short while and even I have noticed that he is rarely an arms length away from you.

"Not only are you the only viable female on this ship, you are beauty and steel. There aren't many who would sit so confidently alone my presence, let alone threaten me in my own chambers, and most of them are fools. But you are not a fool, are you captain?" He slid up alongside her and held out another oyster.

"And here I thought I was just enjoying the company." She smiled and tilted back her head. "And Tyr would not be Tyr if he overcame his mores so easily. And I doubt he'd call them mores. It's logic you know."

"So you _are_ interested in your resident Kodiak."

Beka smiled at this interrogation she had wound up in. "You are putting words in my mouth."

He pouted, his already sensual lower lip protruding slightly. "And here I thought I was putting oysters in your mouth."

"So the human variants in Jaguar space are all buddy-buddy are they?"

"I wouldn't go that far, but there are increasing amounts of petitions for marriage amongst the lower breeding levels. Their children could not be introduced back into Jaguar lines, of course. Our Jaguar Royal, one of our top universities is actually leading a study on these new families. They have found pair bonding to be the dominant breeding style. I have found that very intriguing. As you know, I am sure, that sex is primarily done for procreation within the Prides. Though occasionally there are those who enjoy the recreational aspects of it

"So I must admit a great curiosity. I have six wives, so between them and my duties I rarely have time to look around let alone test other waters." He paused running his hand down her arm. "I'm not sure the climate is quite right yet for an interspecies marriage at my level, but if ever it is, I know where I would look first."

"Ah. Flattery will get you everywhere tonight, Charlemagne."

"Is that so? Should I start by praising the silky blondeness of your hair?" He said playfully.

Beka suppressed a giggle as he stroked her hair. She closed her eyes for a second and sent a short command to the nanobots in her hair. In seconds the nanos had transmuted the polymer coating her hair into a brilliant scarlet.

The Nietzschean paused for a moment then smiled the first genuine open smile she had seen. "You are full of surprises."

"Sorry couldn't resist." She tilted her head and tasted the lower lip that had distracted her through their whole conversation. She could feel him perceivably shudder as she ran her smooth forearms across his bare chest.

As he deepened the kiss, his hands running along her thighs, she suppressed an image of Tyr's disapproving face. _Ok so maybe I have developed a thing for Nietzscheans_. Her fingers sought out and enjoyed the hard ripples of muscle leading down his stomach.

He let out a soft growl into her mouth as she ran her nails through the thin trail of curls disappearing under the drawstring waist of his pants. It was hard to remember, despite the conversation, that he was Nietzschean. He was so much smaller than Tyr. The size of the men she had normally gone for, but somehow he didn't feel quite right in her arms. It was only the annoying visage of Tyr in her head that kept his species on the tip of her mind.

He was incredibly talented and surprising gentle. Once she had given the signs of willingness, he had her quickly free of clothes. She was also surprised by the playfulness of his manner and the patience he'd had with her careful exploration of his body. 

She was well ready when he entered her with one confident stroke. It was here as he bent down and kissed her through his steady rhythm that she tasted the passion. She caught a glimpse of what his wives probably saw. Lost in the sensations a little of the true Charlemagne passed through the soft easy mask he wore. It was this taste of his passion and ferocity that finally sent her over the edge.

She wanted more of it. She coaxed him on his back only allowing him a moment's rest, before doing her best to stoke up that passion in him. She licked, bit and kissed the ferocity out of him her whole body tingled when she succeeded in producing that soft throaty growl. His body responding in a way she knew she'd feel the rest of the day.

Only when he pulled her panting into his arms did she realise she had sampled something that would nibble at her everyday. It would call to her like flash. Never before had she cared that someone look at her in so all consuming a way and now she was startled by how easily she could transcript that look onto Tyr Anasazi's features. She shrugged the thought way knowing she'd die a bitter old woman before that vision came true.

She relaxed into Charlemagne's embrace and enjoyed the now.

Beka lay back against the divan, her head pillowed on Charlemagne's arm. Her skin glowed from exertion and her heart was only now settling back into its normal pace. Wow was still all she could think. _It's a good thing I would have to worry about a major diplomatic incident because the urge to lock him in my bedroom is tempting. _

"I don't see what the fuss is about." Beka was about to protest when his gentle finger caressed the curve of her breast. "Your performance was in no way inferior to any of my wives. If anything you are more oral and from my perspective that isn't in anyway a disadvantage." His fingers continued on to stroke her side.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Beka said disentangling herself from the Jaguar's clutches.

"Leaving so soon."

"I'll take that as a compliment too." Beka said with a lopsided grin as she dug through the pile of clothing and dressed. "I've got to get ready for our little shindig tonight and I have to report to command before that."

Charlemagne sighed and poured the last drops of the champagne into his flute. "So maybe later tonight then."

Beka's grin deepened. "If you are very good."

"You mean I wasn't?"

Beka laughed; she felt as though she had been doing that all afternoon. "Charlemagne, I can safely say you are the best lay I've had in a long time. I think I could easily become as biased in favour of Nietzscheans as you accuse me of being."

"Ah well. Then I must to taunt the Kodiak. Let him know that he should keep his fillies in order."

Beka cast him a sidelong glance as she buckled the holster of her force-lance. She shrugged. "Go ahead. It won't matter to him but I'd love to see the look on his face."

* * *

Beka saw Bolivar stroll over Tyr with two glasses of champagne and offer him one. He caught her eye on his approach. Tyr, she noticed, had been watching her since Charlemagne had exchanged innuendoes with her earlier. Now she could still feel his heavy gaze as she chatted with Dylan and the Sinti representative.

When Charlemagne spoke it was loud enough for her to hear. "She is lovely, is she not?" 

"And is in possession of excellent hearing," Tyr gritted out.

"Oh, I'm sure human women like to be admired as much as their Nietzschean counterparts." Bolivar shrugged off Tyr's ill humour. "Besides now I know why you watch her so closely."

"I do not watch her with any more degree of care than I do the rest of the crew. I was concerned that she seemed a bit too relaxed in your company." 

"Well I did try excessively to make her feel . . . glad to be in my presence. Most women are you know. I usually find it inadvisable to scare them away."

Tyr turned to look down at the Jaguar. "What would you be implying sir?"

"Only that bees give you more honey with nectar than with looming over them." Charlemagne's voice dropped a little and Beka had to strain to hear. "There is one on this very ship whose invaluable loyalty could be sealed with a little nectar. And if you don't soon she will look elsewhere." He smiled and raised his glass to Tyr, then sauntered over to another delegate. 

Tyr's eye went wide as the Archduke's message became clear. His head snapped around to look at Beka. She smiled and mouthed 'what?' at him.

Beka was right - Tyr's expression was worth the slight mortification of having her encounter with Charlemagne alluded to in front of her. She'd never seen such an open look of disbelief on his face. Her smile threatened to break into a laugh as she turned back to Dylan and Hohne.

"What was that about?" Dylan asked. Beka wasn't surprised her captain had caught part of the exchange. He was very wary of Pride Jaguar's presence.

"Nothing. The Archduke was experimenting in Nietzschean-Human relations early this afternoon. We had an interesting . . . conversation."

Dylan looked at her sceptically but was prevented from further probing by the persistent Hohne. So he followed up with the 'we'll discuss it later face,' which only made Beka's smile broaden.

With that she escaped, only pausing long enough to brush past Tyr, trailing her fingers along his boneblades as she passed. "And I always thought these were for just for combat. 'Nite." She gave a little wave and left the room.

-end-  



	2. sequels

The rest of this trilogy can be found at Mars in Leo. You'll have to copy/paste link or use link in my bio section :)

Filet Mignon: Sequel to Oysters. Tyr reacts to Charlemagne's liaison with Beka.

http://www.thedrawlyn.com/html/sub/marsinleo/frame.html

argimpasa 


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